Pearl Drums have announced the malletSTATION, a $1,000 mallet MIDI controller shipping in March 2018.The controller is designed to use USB Bus Power; including via iOS and Android devices!

Video Description:

The malletSTATION model EM1 is a full sized 3.0 octave adjustable range electronic mallet controller designed for all players in any genre, from the beginning student through the gigging professional.

The adjustable low note range function allows you to set the fundamental diatonic note of the instrument to what you need—low D xylophone? No problem! The malletSTATION is powered exclusively by Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, and Android devices through USB Bus Power, allowing performance almost anywhere with minimal set-up and equipment.

Designed in collaboration with Keith McMillen Instruments, malletSTATION’s tech-forward design features KMI’s Smart Fabric Sensor technology allowing the silicone bar material to have an extremely sensitive, natural response, including mallet dampening and aftertouch control, and all can be easily tailored to your individual playing style.

The EM1 features a master control section, with 3 programmable faders, 4 programmable buttons, and the fixed function low note and octave shift buttons. In addition, three assignable pedal inputs allow for flexibility in performance such as sustain, expression, or any MIDI parameter of your choice. These controls are fully programmable through a software editor so changing your configuration is as easy as clicking a mouse.

The EM1 malletSTATION is also the most affordable mallet percussion controller on the market, street priced at just $999. The ultra-thin, lightweight chassis allows for easy portability, and the flexible mounting options provide many different ways of using your instrument. This is the only controller that will grow with you throughout your playing career—from music apps on your phone or tablet, to professional digital audio workstations and sound libraries—your sounds, and even the instruments you play, are only limited by the software you run.

Reader Comments 2

Such a cool looking percussion interface. Regardless of the other comment, the price for this is more than reasonable when you look at any other offerings with that many triggering possibilities.

What's a shame is how fucking horrible Pearls marketing is. So little information about the device. Can you remap all the triggers for splits, etc? Does it have note hold and aftertouch? Does it do position sensing? All of these things are possible with KMI sensors... did Pearl actually implement them? Who the fuck knows? They have no tech specs and they won't respond to emails or FB messages.